Introduction to Sports Biomechanics: Analysing Human Movement ...

Running
MOVEMENT PATTERNS – THE ESSENCE OF SPORTS BIOMECHANICS
Figure 1.12 Three-year-old boy walking overground. Top left: left foot touchdown (0 s); top right: right foot toe-off
(0.06 s); middle left: left foot mid-stance; middle right: right foot touchdown (0.38 s); bottom left: left foot toe-off
(0.44 s); bottom right: right foot mid-stance.
Running, like walking, is a cyclic activity; one running stride follows another in a
continuous pattern. We define a running stride as being from touchdown of one foot
to the next touchdown of the same foot, or from toe-off to toe-off. Unlike walking (see
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